Automated Modelling of Spur Gears and Worm

Gears using ABAQUS/CAE

A. Winkler & F. Goetz

Abstract: Spur gears (SG) and worm gears (WG) are widely used, versatile mechanisms for
transferring torques and rotational motion. The wide range of size and transmission ratio offered
makes it possible for the design engineer to find a solution for almost every desired application.
Examples include power steering (WG), wind energy plant rotor positioning (WG), landing flap
adjustment (WG), clockwork (SG), manual transmission (SG) and large optical telescope
positioning (SG). As the industry of today increasingly raises demands on durability, wear
resistance, load capacity, noise reduction and low cost manufacturing, the importance of design
flexibility becomes a significant issue. One way of achieving raised design flexibility is the
automation of modelling gears and subsequent numerical analysis using the finite element method.
Designing a spur or worm gear is a process based on handbooks, guidelines, experimental work,
numerical analysis and experience. Primary parameters for evaluating the viability of a design
are: overlap rate, tooth efficiency, tooth root stress, hertzian stress and durability stress.
Secondary parameters include: contact pattern, torque variation and noise emission. The primary
parameters can be relatively well estimated using analytical methods, which are often
implemented in tooth design software, e.g. Hirn or KissSoft. The secondary parameters require
specialised application software to be written or time-consuming tests to be performed.
This paper concerns the method of parametrically modelling spur and worm gears with spur or
helical toothing, taking assembly deviations such as centre distance error or shaft angle error into
account, and defining standard load cases to be analysed and evaluated using the finite element
package ABAQUS. To implement this vertical application in ABAQUS/CAE the GUI Toolkit has
been used.

Keywords: Gear Design, Design Flexibility, Spur Gears, Worm Gears, Analysis Automation

2005 ABAQUS Users Conference

1. Introduction
The fundamental task of a gear is to transfer torques and/or rotational motion through the
sequential contact between engaging teeth. A gear is defined by at least two intermeshing gear
wheels, which are connected via a frame or a rib (Thomas, 1957).
When selecting a certain kind of gear wheel for an application (and hence the type of gear
itself), the decision is dependent on the following factors:
Shaft positioning (as illustrated in Figure 1a-1c)
Speed ratio
Gear purpose
Type of loading
The factors provide a choice between possible gear types: the spur gear, the bevel gear and
the worm gear. These are illustrated in Figure 1d-1f.
In the case of a rolling transfer of motion, pure rolling gears are defined. These may be
designed as internal or external gears. A rolling gear with intersecting shafts is defined as a bevel
gear. Parallel shafts render a spur gear. In the case of a pinion with an infinitely large radius, the
spur gear defines a gear rack and the bevel gear a crown gear.
Spur gears are generally used for speed ratios between imax 6 and imin 3, and may be
designed with spur toothing or helical toothing. A spur gear is well suited for applications with
high demands on efficiency (tooth efficiency 98-99%) and can be manufactured using relatively
simple means of production. It usually does not require complicated bearing design, being able to
make good use of ball, roller and slide bearings. Increasing the speed ratio previously specified
over one stage poises no problem for the mechanical design itself. If a speed ratio over 10:1 is
being considered however, the gear design can often become much less spacious and less costly
when using multiple stages.
If the shafts are crossed and the shaft angle 90 a screw gear is defined. Small centre
distances, and thus almost intersecting shafts define an offset shaft bevel gear (hypoid gear). The
hypoid gear is an application which can be found in any motor car (differential gear). A worm gear
is defined by crossed shafts with a possible shaft angle either 90 or = 90.
Worm gears are generally used for speed ratios between imax 200:1 and imin 5:1, and are in
most cases designed with helical worm wheel toothing. A worm gear is particularly suitable when
large speed ratios, low noise and damped run are required. It is possible to achieve larger speed
ratios over one stage than previously recommended, although the gear will mostly be less spacious
and less costly when using a design with multiple stages. An example of the variation in the size
of worm gears is illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. Worm gears are further characterised through the
different generic gear wheel shapes as presented in Table 1. The definition of the cylinder and
globoid wheel shape is illustrated in Figure 4.
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IMS Gear GmbH manufactures spur gears and worm gears for many different applications.
The focus of development is directed towards the automobile industry. Examples of applications
include electrical car window adjustments, seat position adjustments, central locks and steerings.
An overview of the gear sizes manufactured by IMS Gear GmbH (characterised by the tip
diameter of the spur wheel / worm wheel (da), the centre distance (a), the transferred Torque (T)
and module (m) ) is provided in Table 2. Figure 5 shows a patented custom design of IMS Gear
GmbH, the globoid double worm gear.

2. Three-dimensional modelling of spur gears and worm gears

Spur wheels (and hence spur gears) can be created with little effort in all three-dimensional
CAD systems. Depending on which system is being used, the creation of any helical geometry
(helical wheels and helical toothing) can become a more or less difficult and time-consuming task.
When creating a worm geometry, most CAD-Systems experience difficulties trying to
exactly describe the screw-shaped surfaces of the worm. One reason that ought to be mentioned is
that many systems lack the required mathematical stability for the kernel to be able to produce the
desired geometry. The quality of the resulting geometry is adequate in most cases for a visual
presentation or producing a drawing. However, for the generation of a FE-Model or a CAMProcess the level of precision is too low.
To be able to analyse a worm or spur gear, the gear components need to be imported into an
FEM-Preprocessor, in which the FE-Model is built. This step is generally the starting point for
arising difficulties. Among often encountered problems are unclosed volumes, disconnected /
missing / overlapping surfaces as well as overlapping edges and duplicate vertices. The effort of
mending a non-precise geometry depends on its import quality, which in the case of low-precision
generated geometries may lead to unnecessarily long processing times. Brandmeier (Brandmeier,
2003) provides a structured overview of transfer files formats and the difficulties in transferring
CAD Data between systems.
A particular obstacle in the way of successfully modelling a worm gear is the assembly
process. The shaft angle and centre distance may easily be defined, but the tooth geometries of the
worm and worm wheel must not overlap or intersect. In order to achieve this in a CAD-System, it
is necessary to insert a cut through both parts perpendicular to the worm wheel shaft, and
manually adjust the worm position. Depending on hardware configuration, this may additionally
delay the modelling process.
In order to facilitate the modelling of a complete worm or spur gear for a finite element
analysis, it is advisable to import the tooth geometries of the gear components into a preprocessor,
and use it to create the three-dimensional geometries. One major advantage of this method is that
each tooth can be meshed individually, allowing the analyst to focus on special areas of interest
even in a larger model with a higher degree of complexity. Furthermore, the approach yields a
possibility of automating the assembly process, which aims at reducing total analysis time.

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3. Modelling a spur gear / worm gear with ABAQUS / CAE

For this study, two gears have been selected as target applications: a cylindrical worm gear
with helical toothing and a spur gear with spur toothing. The tooth geometries of the spur or worm
gear are designed using the IMS Gear in-house-developed programs Stirnradprogramm
(translates Spur Gear Program) and Schneckenprogramm(translates Worm Program). The
export extension *.py has been added to both programs, which enables a tooth geometry to be
exported as a single cubic spline. The export precision of the vertex positions has been set to 0.1
m and may be set finer if required. Importing the tooth geometries as single splines into
ABAQUS/CAE is a necessity, since an interrupted two-dimensional curve generally yields an
impaired mesh on the generated teeth.
To be able to model a complete worm or spur wheel with z number of teeth in
ABAQUS/CAE, a single tooth is generated and instanced z number of times in the assembly
module. The separate teeth are then joined with the Merge, retain boundaries command to
constitute a single part. The part consists of z partitioned cells, which may be individually
displayed and meshed.
The worm is considered to be rigid and modelled as a three-dimensional discrete revolute
shell, and the wheels are modelled as deformable solids. Modifications such as chamfering or
crowning are not being considered. The different wheel materials assignment is listed in Table 3.
The material input data is presented in Table 4. Because of the large difference in stiffness
between mild steel and PA66, assuming linear material properties for the steel is regarded as
sufficiently descripitive. The analyses will include nonlinear geometric effects and be carried out
at ambient temperature (+23C), for which all material data have been prepared.

4. Automating the model setup with ABAQUS / CAE

The modelling of a spur or worm gear assembly as described in chapter 3 allows automating
the model setup. The plugin method implemented in ABAQUS/CAE with version 6.5
(ABAQUS/CAE manual 2005) can be used for this automation process. Using plugins allows the
integration of house-defined software into the ABAQUS/CAE environment. This way, one can
modify the ABAQUS graphical user interface (GUI) by using the ABAQUS GUI Toolkit
commands to enter the parameters required for the model setup. The chosen parameters will be
introduced into the model building via a kernel script (ABAQUS scripting interface). The plugins
as well as the scripts used for the model building have been created in the programming language
Python. These are listed in the following paragraphs. All plugins can be found under the Plugins item in the menu bar as illustrated by figure 6. Making use of the plug-ins dialog boxes with
input fields and selection lists will be generated. These may also be supported by images and help
functions.
As a first example, the generation of a spur gear assembly is described. Using the spur gear
plug-in will open a dialog box that contains two toolboxes in which the parameters for the model
setup (model data) and for controlling the analysis (history data) can be set.
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Figure 7a shows the amount of necessary parameters needed for creating the model. The user
may modify these parameters to fit the desired gear design . The figure on the right side of the
dialog box is meant to help choosing the geometry parameters. It is also possible to model the
pinion and the wheel with or without a left or right recess. The procedure for creating the spur gear
assembly corresponds to the one described in chapter 3. At first a single tooth will be created,
which will be instanced several times and then merged into one part. All single cells are retained
to simplify the subsequent meshing. With the second toolbox shown in figure 7b, all necessary
parameters for controlling the analysis can be set. The analysis will be performed using
ABAQUS/Explicit including general contact. The boundary conditions and loads will be set at the
reference nodes. The dialog box contains fields with lists for material data and a list of amplitudes.
These lists include all data stored in the model named Model-1. The lists will be updated
automatically once new data has been entered. By using the ABAQUS environment file
(abaqus_v6.env) specific materials and amplitude data can be loaded upon starting
ABAQUS/CAE, making the environment constitute a kind of materials database.
The plugin for generating the worm gear assembly works quite similarly to the spur gear
plugin. The gear parameters are entered using two different toolboxes, one for the model data and
one for the history data. Figures 8a and 8b show the possible worm gear input parameters in dialog
boxes. The list for selecting material and amplitudes again contains the data from the model
named Model-1. Whereas both wheels in the spur gear assembly are deformable, only the worm
wheel is deformable in the worm gear assembly and the worm initialized as a rigid body. The
worm wheel can optionally be fitted with slots, whose number must be defined by using the
Number of Slots-parameter. The first step of the geometry creation is the generation of a ring of
teeth by merging several single teeth. Next, the wheel body (with or without slots) is created and
inserted into the tooth ring. Again all single cells are retained to simplify the subsequent meshing.
The worm is generated as a 360 cylindrical part with a draft. Corresponding to the number of
worm coils entered in the dialog box, the same number of single 360 worms will be merged
together to form one complete worm. The worm gear assembly requires the analysis to be
performed using ABAQUS/Explicit including general contact and a definition of boundary
conditions using two reference nodes.
After generating the model the user is provided with the full ABAQUS/CAE functionality for
further modifications. Single parameter changes such as loads magnitudes, boundary conditions or
mesh seeding are easily performed directly in ABAQUS/CAE and not by repeating the generation
of the model by changing values in the plugin dialog box. The modelling process of the spur and
worm gear assembly can be started when all parameter fields in the dialog box have been filled
out. While the kernel scripts works in the background, the current model status can be displayed
by using the Python command: vp.view.next(TRUE). When the model building is finished the
complete meshed assembly will be displayed in the viewport. Figures 9a and 9b show spur and
worm gear assemblies generated with different meshes.
To simplify the selection of the parameters a file with default values will be imported when
opening both of the plugins. Furthermore it is possible to store parameter data in lists or to import
and activate them from lists. The names for the parameter file, the model and the input file can be
set by using the parameter Job Name.
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5. Evaluation criteria for the gear viability assessment

When post-processing a standard gear analysis, the following important output data are
always examined:

torque over rotation angle

angular acceleration difference

tooth root stress over meshing distance

contact pattern, as described by Predki, (Predki, 1993)

Hertzian stress, as described in Figure 10. (Niemann & Winter, 1985)

The torque-rotation angle diagram may be used to detect torque variations resulting from
centre distance deviation, impaired tooth geometry or shaft angle deviation. Torque variations may
cause instable run, unwanted noise emission (material stiffness dependent), reduced tooth strength
and reduced efficiency.
The angular acceleration difference values give a direct indication on the noise emission
from the gear as a whole. Using angular acceleration difference data with equations provided by
Plewnia (Plewnia, 1992) it is possible to extract values for the noise pressure level. These may be
used to compare tooth geometries when trying to design a low-noise gear.
The tooth root stress-meshing distance diagram provides a good means of determining when
teeth engage in contact and when they exit. It is also possible to assess the nature of contact and
contact motion, e.g., smooth, impulsive, stick-slip or rolling.
The contact pattern can be visualised using the contact pressure output. It is a variable used
to determine how smooth the gear will run and how the flanks will carry the load. For a gear to be
able to transfer large torques, the load needs to be evenly distributed over all meshing teeth,
theoretically making use of the entire flank width. This is only possible for gears with an optimal
contact pattern. The generated contact pattern is dependent on the milling cutter geometry,
machine process parameters and in the case of a worm gear, the worm geometry. The contact area
output can be used to extract a numerical value for the largest occurring contact surface. The
contact pressure and contact area output should be regarded as purely informative, since wear and
running-in time are not being considered in the analyses.
The Hertzian stress is a well established variable for evaluating the pitting strength of a tooth
design. The contact pressure field output variable comes closest to representing the magnitude of
the Hertzian stress, yet it does not account for the influence of flank surface finish, lubricant
viscosity, peripheral velocity etc. These influences need to be considered using adjustment
coefficients from handbooks and experimental work.

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6. Summary and Conclusions

Automating the modelling of spur gears and worm/screw gears enables a non-FEA user to
easily model the desired gear, submitting it for analysis and evaluating its performance. The
automation application thus offers the possibility of performing design studies for an arbitrary
number of tooth and wheel designs. The considerable decrease in computer man-time thanks to the
application makes it more attractive to use the finite element method at an early stage in the design
process and thus increases the potential efficiency of a design team.
The automation so far has been held at a relatively crude level, and selected improvements
will increase the application viability. As a first step, crowning and chamfering of worm wheels
should be implemented, as well as shaft angle variation and tolerances settings for shaft angle and
centre distance. Other possible extensions include the modelling of impaired teeth, reinforcement
ribs and globoid cuts. The postprocessing needs to become more detailed, yet this is more a
process of continuous improvement whilst using the application and as such is self-evident.

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7. References

1. Brandmeier, V., Der Teufel steckt im Detail, CAD CAM Highlights, Hanser Verlag,
Munich 2003.
2. Niemann, G., and H. Winter, Maschinenelemente Band II, Springer Verlag, Berlin 1985.
3. Thomas, A. K., Grundzge der Verzahnung, Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich 1957.
4. Plewnia, C., Drehbertragungs- und Geruschverhalten bogenverzahnter Kegelradgetriebe,
Ph. D. Thesis, RWTH Aachen, 1992.
5. Predki, W., Hochleistungs-Schneckengetriebe, VDI Report 977 - Verzahnungen, VDI
Verlag GmbH, Dsseldorf 1992.
6. Predki, W., Vorausberechnung von Tragbildern fr Schneckengetriebe, VDI Report 1056,
VDI Verlag GmbH, Dsseldorf 1993.
7. ABAQUS, Inc., ABAQUS CAE Users Manual, Version 6.5-1, 2005

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8. Tables
Table 1. Worm wheel characterisation.
Worm shape

Worm wheel shape

Application

Cylinder

Cylinder

Screw Gear Precision Mechanics

Cylinder

Globoid

Worm Gear Mechanical Engineering

Globoid

Cylinder

Globoid Worm Gear Steering Systems

Globoid

Globoid

Globoid Worm Wheel set generally not implemented

Table 2. Gear size overview.

Sign (Unit)

Spur gear

Worm gear

da,min (mm), da,max (mm)

~3-6, ~200-260

~3-5, ~90-120

amin (mm), amax (mm)

~10, ~150

~4, ~70

Tmax (Nm)

~300

~160-200

mmin , mmax

~0.2, ~3

~0.2, ~2.7

Table 3. Analysis material assignment.

Gear

Wheel

Material

Spur gear

Pinion

handbook mild steel

Spur wheel

PA66

Worm

Rigid

Wormwheel

PA66

Worm Gear

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Table 4. Material input data.

Material

Term

Magnitude

Unit

Mild Steel

Youngs Modulus

210000

MPa

(handbook data)

Poissons Ratio

0.33

Density

7.8 x 10-9

Tonnes / mm

PA66

Youngs Modulus

3100

MPa

(CAMPUS)

Poissons Ratio

0.33

Density

1.13 x 10-9

Tonnes / mm

Yield Stress / Plastic Strain

(plasticity curve)

50
58.3
68.1
75.4
81.3
85.8
89.1

MPa / -

10

0
0.000620
0.001750
0.003308
0.005266
0.007696
0.010470

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9. Figures

Figure 1a. Parallel shafts.

Figure 1b. Intersecting shafts.

Figure 1c. Crossing shafts.

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Figure 1d. Spur gear.

Figure 1e. Bevel gear.

Figure 1f. Worm gear.

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.
Figure 2. Worm gear with centre distance 10.5 mm (IMS Gear GmbH).

Figure 3. Worm gear with centre distance 1200 mm (Predki, 1992).

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Figure 4. Generic wheel shapes.

Figure 5. Globoid double worm gear (IMS Gear GmbH).

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Figure 6. Using plugins.

Figure 7a. Spur gear plugin (model data).

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Figure 7b. Spur gear plugin (history data).

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Figure 8a. Worm gear plugin (model data).

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Figure 8b. Worm gear plugin (history data).

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Figure 9a. Spur gear assemblies.

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Figure 9b. Worm gear assemblies.

Figure 10. Hertzian Stress.

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